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Origin and history

The House of Italians, located 15 rue Champ-Lagarde in Versailles, is a rock-style building erected in 1752 by architect Jacques Hardouin-Mansart (1711-1778) for Anne Larcher, Countess of Argenson. Although often associated with the Italian musicians of Louis XIV, it actually replaced a primitive house built by the castrat Antonio Bagniera from 1686, enlarged in 1708 and bequeathed to his colleagues. This original pavilion, with a circular dome salon, was ceded in 1748 to the Countess, who had him reconstructed entirely.

The Countess d'Argenson, separated from her husband, used this residence as a Versailalis residence and a "galante house", sheltering her love with the Marquis de Valfons. The architecture, marked by staples signed by Nicolas Pineau and games of curves inspired by Borromini, reflects Mansart's influence, then engaged on other projects such as the church of Saint Louis in Versailles. The house was sold in 1759 to the Countess of Marsan, then in 1776 to the botanist Louis-Guillaume Le Monnier, who made it a high scientific place.

Under Le Monnier, the property became a renowned botanical garden, forming naturalists like André Michaux. After his death in 1799, the house passed into several hands, including those of astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange, before being fragmented in the 19th century. Acquised by the city of Versailles in 1978, it was restored and entrusted in 1986 to the Union Companionnique of the United Duties. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1976 and has maintained a registered park since 1950.

The original site, founded by Bagniera in 1686, was a retreat for Italian castrates of the Royal Chapel, including Giuseppe Nardi, Filippo Santoni and Tomaso Carli. These musicians, close to Louis XIV, lived there until the middle of the 18th century. The original pavilion, described as a circular salon covered with a dome and opened by three crosses, was gradually abandoned before its reconstruction by the Countess. Notarial acts and post-death inventories confirm this transition.

The architecture of the present house, with its rock decorations and references to Italian art, bears witness to the tastes of the 18th century Veraillaist aristocracy. The staples above the bays, copied on those of the castle of Jossigny (1753), and the false marbles added during the restoration of 1989 illustrate the stylistic evolutions of the building. Today, it still houses the Companion Union, perpetuating a link between heritage and craftsmanship.

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